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Trying to snap a two-month slump in the NASCAR Cup Series, Tyler Reddick rebounded from a poor practice session to capture pole position Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The 23XI Racing driver turned a 29.054-second lap (131.094 mph) in his No. 45 Toyota to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s race on the 1.058-mile oval, beating Josh Berry by 0.015 seconds. William Byron qualified third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen. Reddick was 31st fastest in the practice session before qualifying, but his team made adjustments to improve his speed.

Ryan Preece will have all the scrutiny this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and it’s not just because the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver is on the bubble of making the Chase with two races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. The Connecticut native also will be racing in Saturday’s Modified Support series in Loudon, New Hampshire, with a crew of New England locals. Trailing Shane van Gisbergen by 50 points for the 16th and final Chase spot, Preece is embracing the frenzy as a rallying point in a last-ditch charge to race for the Cup championship.

Kurt Busch has shared emotional memories of his final day with his brother Kyle Busch at the hospital. In an interview on NBC’s “Today” show, he recalled hoping for a miracle as Kyle battled severe pneumonia that led to sepsis. Kyle Busch died on May 21 at the age of 41, leaving the racing community in shock. The brothers, both NASCAR champions, shared a unique on-track chemistry. Kurt is now mentoring Kyle’s son, Brexton, who is already showing promise in racing. Kurt emphasized Kyle’s legacy as NASCAR’s winningest driver and a dedicated father.

With an impressive surge from 20th place to ninth in the standings over the past six races, Joey Logano has flipped the narrative on the elimination playoffs that determined the Cup Series champion from 2014-25. The waning races of NASCAR’s regular season typically were a scramble to make the championship field when a win earned a berth. But that safety valve has disappeared in the Chase, which will rely entirely on points to set the 16-driver field. The top 16 drivers have been unchanged for the past four races, and the grid for the 10-race title run likely will remain the same at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend.

Ryan Blaney can’t fully explain his recent dominance in NASCAR qualifying, but he attributed Mother Nature with an assist Friday at Richmond Raceway. The Team Penske driver captured his third pole position in the past five races, turning a lap in 22.225 seconds (121.485 mph) around the 0.75-mile oval. With 12 races remaining after Saturday’s 400-lap event at Richmond, Blaney already has a career-best four pole positions and is tied with points leader Denny Hamlin for the series lead. Chase Briscoe qualified second, followed by Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs and William Byron.

Seven second-place finishes this season have been “a kick to the gut” for Christopher Bell, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is ranked sixth in the points standings and a championship contender for the Chase. The 10-race title run puts an emphasis on points and strong results, and Bell is a threat to win the championship despite a 30-race winless streak and runner-up finishes in four of the past five races.

Ty Gibbs’ car will be adorned in the multicolored M&M's paint scheme made famous by former teammate Kyle Busch during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway next month. Busch's widow, Samantha, made the announcement Thursday on social media. She wrote that Bristol was one of Busch's tracks and she's grateful that the M&Ms colors will be coming back there. Busch died in May after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis. He was 41. Ty Gibbs is coming off his second win of the season at the Cup Series race in Iowa.